Pre-orders begin for the consumer Samsung Gear VR
Pre-orders for the consumer version of the Samsung Gear VR are finally live to reignite our interest in virtual reality, and just in time for the holiday shopping season too.
Gear VR pre-orders are now live over at Best Buy in the US. The headset comes with a $99.99 price tag and the release date is scheduled for November 20th. If you’re interested in one, remember that the Gear VR only works with a small selection of Samsung Galaxy smartphones, which are also responsible for generating the content. The Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5 are supported with the consumer version, thanks to the adjustable slider that holds the phone in place.
The Gear VR was originally announced back in September 2014 and has seen a couple of developer hardware revisions since then. While the consumer version still presses down on the cheeks a little, we found that it is lighter than the previous models, which is a major bonus.
See also: Samsung Gear VR reactions at Oculus Connect
To sweeten the deal, Best Buy is also throwing in a 16GB microSD card that comes preloaded with 3D movie trailers and a selection of 360 degree videos, more of which will be available through Samsung Milk VR. Owners will also be able to stream videos from Vimeo, Hulu, Netflix and Twitch while sitting in a virtual theater. This is something that we found pretty captivating during our latest hands on time with the Gear VR.
Are you planning to pick up the consumer version of the Gear VR?
Samsung’s improved Gear VR is available for pre-order
Samsung said its improved, cheaper Gear VR would arrive sometime in November, and it’s clearly making good on its promise. Best Buy has started taking pre-orders for the virtual reality headset — plunk down $100 and you should get your Gear VR on November 20th. It’s not quite as low-cost as it sounds, since you’ll need one of Samsung’s 2015 flagship phones (such as a Galaxy S6 variant or the Galaxy Note 5) to make it work. Still, it might be worth the investment if you’ve been itching to try modern VR at home.
Via: I4U News
Source: Best Buy
Voxer brings ‘Dick Tracy’ like abilities to the Samsung Gear S2
Voxer is coming to the Samsung Gear S2, and bringing Dick Tracy like abilities. Voxer on the Gear S2 will work similar to how a walkie-talkie would work, only from your wrist.
All you have to do is select a contact, press the button, and start speaking into your Gear S2. Your message then sends to the selected contact, and when they reply, you will receive a notification. You also have the option of listening to their message from the watch or through a Bluetooth connected device.
Voxer also brings Capture Mode to their mobile app. With this new mode, users can send videos and photos within Voxer. Just turn your phone sideways, and the screen will show a camera view with a button that can be pressed to take a picture or held down to record video.
Both Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2, and Capture Mode are currently available now.
Press Release:
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mobile messaging pioneer Voxer today announced that it has enabled its voice messaging capabilities on the Samsung Gear S2 watch, bringing true Dick Tracy® 2-Way Wrist-Radio functionality to a smartwatch for the first time and helping users get more out of every moment. Voxer also announced Capture Mode, a new photo and video feature for smartphone users. The new functionality extends Voxer users’ ability to communicate instantaneously while retaining a level of personality and nuance lost when using text alone.
“Voxer lets users move well beyond text messaging to truly impart clear, direct communication with their personality to friends, family members and work colleagues, conveniently”
Tweet thisDick Tracy® Functionality for Samsung Gear S2
Using Voxer on the Samsung Gear S2 is straightforward and simple, giving users the frictionless communications experience made famous by the iconic 2-Way Wrist-Radio worn by Chester Gould’s comic strip detective Dick Tracy. Users simply select a contact and press a button while speaking into the Gear S2 as they would a walkie-talkie. When the contact replies, the user gets a notification and can then listen to the message either on the watch or through Bluetooth devices.
Capture Mode for Photo and Video
Another new advanced Voxer feature, Capture Mode, gives users the ability to immediately create and send videos and photos from within the Voxer application. With Capture Mode, users rotate their phones to the landscape position to reveal a screen with a camera view and a button they can either click for a photo or hold down for a video. They can then send the image or video clip to anyone else on Voxer, without ever leaving the application.
“Voxer lets users move well beyond text messaging to truly impart clear, direct communication with their personality to friends, family members and work colleagues, conveniently,” said Irv Remedios, president of Voxer. “Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2 watch and our new Capture Mode make Voxer the most frictionless communications application available today. Voxer makes messaging more immediate and more impactful, harnessing the power of the human voice and letting users add exactly the right combination of video, photos and text for any situation.”
Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2 and Capture Mode are currently available, and can be downloaded from your device’s app store.
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Samsung wants you to watch sporting events on a Gear VR headset
Manufacturers are still trying to find the best use cases for virtual reality headsets, and Samsung thinks there might be a future in streaming sporting events.
Earlier in September, a football game (soccer game, for anyone in the US) was aired in Portugal, and then a surfing competition was streamed in October. Both of these used the full 360 degree experience that only a virtual reality headset can provide, creating a completely immersive experience that you just can’t get from a normal television broadcast.
There was a ton of effort that went into making that VR stream a reality, which you can read about on Samsung’s blog post. There’s no official plans yet for another virtual reality broadcast, but with how well this one did, it’s obviously something Samsung will continue to look at in the future.
What are your thoughts on sporting events in virtual reality? Do you think it’ll take off, or is it just another gimmick to try and push VR adoption?
source: Samsung Tomorrow
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Revamped Samsung Galaxy A5 and A3 leaked
Judging by newly spotted leaks and benchmarks, it appears that Samsung is preparing to launch updated versions of its mid-tier Galaxy A5 and A3 smartphones. The revamped handsets will feature a visual redesign and some improved hardware specifications.
According to two GFXBench listings, the new Galaxy A5 (SM-A510) looks to sport a 5.2-inch 1080p display, with an octa-core Cotex-A57/A53 Exynos 7 SoC and an ARM Mali-T720 GPU. There’s also 2GB of RAM, a 5MP front facing camera and 12 megapixel rear camera. The Galaxy A3 (SM-A310) model features slightly lower-end hardware, with a 4.7-inch 720p display, quad-core Cortex-A53 Exynos 7580 SoC, just 1.5GB of RAM, but the same 5MP and 12MP camera combination.
In terms of design, the speaker grill looks to have been moved to the bottom of the handsets like the Galaxy S6 range, while the camera and LED flash take on new forms. The phones also appear to feature a reflective or glass back this time around, rather than the matte medal finish of the current generation handsets. Click on the pictures below for a closer look.
It is not clear if these new handsets will ship with a fingerprint scanner or not. But if Samsung is planning to bring its Samsung Pay technology to a wider range of handsets in the near future, the company may choose to start with its next generation of mid-range hardware.
See also: Samsung Pay may be heading to less expensive Galaxy phones
Samsung originally introduced the Galaxy A range of smartphones to bring a little more of the company’s flagship feel and features to its mid-range products, and it looks like these second generation editions will continue this trend. What do you think about these handsets?
Samsung lays claim to top spot in five sales regions around the world
Market research firm Strategy Analytics has released their latest analysis of smartphone sales around the world and for the most part, Samsung is likely pleased with the results. According to the numbers that were compiled, Samsung ranked first in terms of sales for the third quarter in five regions. The one point of frustration for Samsung will be the inability to capture the lead in the North American market as Apple continues to hold the top spot.
The five regions where Samsung is the top seller include Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and African market. In just the Middle East and African market, Samsung achieved 52.1 percent market share after seeing unit sales jump by 3 million units to 16.1 million for the quarter. All together, Samsung sold 83.8 million smartphones in the six markets that Strategy Analytics looked at.
In the North American market, Samsung held on to 26 percent market share while Apple maintained 33 percent.
source: Business Korea
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Leaked images show off the design of Samsung’s second generation Galaxy A3 and A5
Some new photos have leaked showcasing the design of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy A3 and A5. The original A3, A5, and A7 phones fit into Samsung’s midrange portfolio, and that’s probably where we’ll see the second generation devices sit, too.
The biggest takeaway here is that the Galaxy A3 and A5, if these leaked photos end up being accurate, both look like the Galaxy S6. Samsung really make a great looking phone with the S6, so it makes sense to see the design trickle down to other devices like this.
Everything from the edges of the phone to the camera placement and home button are nearly identical to Samsung’s 2015 flagship, although there’s no heart rate monitor on the back of the device.
We still haven’t seen the Galaxy A7, but if this is what the other two models look like it’s probably a safe bet to assume the A7 will use the S6 design language as well. It’s been over a year since Samsung announced the original models, so we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to get something official on these new phones.
source: S_leak (Twitter)
via: PocketNow
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Samsung rumored to launch an entry-level fitness tracker
Samsung is no stranger to the wearable market. Starting off with it’s first wearable, the Galaxy Gear, back in 2013, Samsung’s smartwatch/fitness tracker portfolio has grown immensely over the years. By now it’s pretty clear that the company is committed to bringing wearables of all shapes and sizes to market, especially if this new rumor proves to be true.
According to the folks at SamMobile, Samsung has an entry-level fitness tracker in the works that could cost much less than you’d think.
The wearable that’s currently in development sports the model number SM-R150, and is known internally as the Triathlon. While the report doesn’t state too many details about the new wearable, the internal codename does point to an activity or fitness tracking wearable. The Triathlon could come with a similar feature set to that of Xiaomi’s Mi Band, an entry-level fitness band that costs just $15. The report also notes that considering the model number is even lower than the Gear Fit’s (SM-R350), the Triathlon probably won’t come with a heart rate monitor or any other more premium features.
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Considering the fact that Samsung just recently made its S Health application available to all, it wouldn’t be surprising if this new wearable was compatible with all Android devices at launch. Samsung wearables have always been pretty pricey at least at the start, so this could definitely be a way for the Korean technology giant to get its devices on more users’ wrists.
What are your thoughts? If Samsung launched a fitness tracker similar to the Xiaomi Mi Band in specs and price, would you buy it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Samsung’s new Family Square app is a photo bulletin board for the Galaxy View
Samsung’s new Family Square app is the “command center” that wants to keep you connected to your family on the all-new 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablet. The intention of Family Square is to be able to create a bulletin board of photos and share those moments with friends and family.
There’s no telling how popular Family Square will be, as Samsung’s behemoth tablet is only selling at select retailers, and much like the iPad Pro, it’s confusing as to who the Galaxy View is intended for.
To setup Family Square, you’ll need to pair the Galaxy View with a compatible smartphone and create a group within the app. Users will be able to send notifications to family members and friends to download the Family Square app, and by downloading it, those people accept the invitation to your group. Once it’s all setup, you can begin sharing special memories to your group, where your friends and family will be able to see these moments.
It’s a neat little application, but it’s difficult to nail down an audience on who this app is intended for. After all, most people will just send photos over text, email, Facebook, and even show moments off with family and friends at a gathering. With that in mind, you can give Family Square a shot by hitting the download link below, but do keep in mind that this photo bulletin board is restricted to just Samsung devices, making Family Square a very limited app.
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Get $100 discount off 2015 flagships in T-Mobile’s ‘Why Wait for Cyber Monday’ promotion
While everyone waits for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s deals to come around, T-Mobile is trying to steal a march on its competitors with its ‘Why wait for Cyber Monday’ promotion where you can save $100 when picking up one of 2015’s flagship smartphones.
Whether you are a new customer or an existing one who wants to activate a new line on a qualifying rate plan, you can pick up a handset from Samsung, LG, or even Apple, and save $100. The list of eligible handsets includes:
- Galaxy Note 5
- Galaxy Note 4
- Galaxy S6 edge plus
- Galaxy S6 edge
- Galaxy S6
- LG V10
- LG G4
- iPhone 6s/6s Plus/ 6/6 Plus (if you absolutely have to)
It’s an online only promotion, so there’s no point heading off to your local store. Just navigate to T-Mobile’s website and apply the coupon to your order to get the $100 OFF. It should be noted that the promotion can’t be used in conjunction with other offers, while Jump! and Jump! on Demand subscribers aren’t eligible.
Source: T-Mobile
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